Raffi Torres had surgery on a torn right ACL on Thursday morning and will miss at least three to five months of the season.

Torres 31 was hurt in a preseason game last Friday Sep. 20. He signed a three-year $6 million contract extension with the Sharks this summer.

One option could be for the Sharks to keep Torres out until the Olympic Break in February when the NHL shuts down for two-and-a-half weeks for the games in Sochi Russia. The Sharks have 22 games remaining in the regular season after the break beginning in Philadelphia on Feb. 27.

The vacancy leaves a hole in the lineup that could be filled by one of the organization’s young prospects. Forwards Freddie Hamilton and Matt Nieto remain at training camp and Nieto impressed on the third line with Joe Pavelski and Tommy Wingels in Tuesday’s 5-0 preseason win against Vancouver.